Nuapada: Leopards continued to strike terror in the area under Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha’s Nuapada district as the wild cat killed another calf in a village on Saturday night.
According to sources, the calf of a villager of Kodapali under Dharambandha police limits had gone for grazing in the nearby forest in the morning. Though the calf did not return till evening, its owner did not go in search of it to the forest in fear of the leopard.
On Sunday morning, while the villager had gone to his farm field close to the forest, he found two leopards besides the dead calf. Afraid of approaching the leopards, he returned to the villager and told the villagers about the incident.
On being informed by the villagers about the leopards, the Forest officials went to the forest and inspected the area. They found pug marks of a wild animal from the spot and took their photographs to be sent to the laboratory for identification.
The villagers said this is the 4th incident of leopard attack in the area this month. “On March 6, a cow was killed by a leopard in the forest. A day after another cow was found hunted in another village and again a week after, a calf was dragged by the wild cat from outside a house in Jalamadei village in Komna. Now the animal has struck our village,” said a villager.
Nuapada DFO said, “We think that it is the same leopard which has been hunting the cattle in the area. We have set up 10 close circuit cameras at the probable locations where the leopard is suspected to be moving. After getting the camera feed, we will confirm about the wild animal.”
He further said the Forest department has been advising the people, particularly old persons and children not to venture out of their house at night. “Our staff are also moving village to village as part of the campaign to alert the people and the Forest guards have been put on high alert,” he added.
